To the Beat of My Heart
by RunFarAwayWithMe
Summary: Beca's heart lies in her drum kit, definitely not at Barden University. Already in a band with some of the Bella members she enters the new school year full of pessimism, but things seem brighter once Chloe arrives on the scene. However, a horrible accident puts the two things she really loves at risk: Chloe, and drumming.
1. Chapter 1

"Dad, this isn't where I want to be," Beca said defiantly for the hundredth time.  
"I know – you want to be out drumming for 'My Toxic Romance' or whatever, but that won't get you anywhere in life, Beca! Your mother and I both agreed you are to get a college education before you decide what career you enter into." Mr Mitchell was tired of having the same argument over and over again with his daughter. He knew it was a bad idea the moment his ex-wife brought home a drum kit for their twelve year old daughter, and six years later he stood by his initial feelings.

"But I'm just wasting time here!" Beca protested, "I should be out in LA, making music and playing with my band!"  
"You need a band to play with for that! And I can't imagine anyone who would be distracted by that sort of music when they're just about to embark on a new chapter of their life at college!  
"Stop making college life sound so damn poetic! It's not – it's full of crap, especially when you don't want to be here. And for your information I have a band. I found some people in online forums who are also starting Barden and we've met up loads over the summer to practice together already."  
"Fine – do you know what? I'm just glad you're being social for once in your life. But I swear, Beca, if you fall behind in your education then this is the last straw and you give up drumming. If you prove to me you can cope with both school and music – then maybe I'll consider helping you move to LA at the end of the year if you're still determined that's the place for you."

"Great. I'm sure you'll follow through on that…" Beca replied sarcastically. Some people may say thank you if a parent said this to them, but her dad was the reason she was wasting time here anyway so she wasn't in any hurry to be polite and courteous to him. She began to unpack a few more boxes as her dad left her dorm room, but she was soon stopped by her phone ringing loudly in her pocket.

Before she could look at the screen, Beca noticed her roommate look up sharply with an irritated expression on her face. "I'll take this outside…" she said, stepping out of the dorm room whilst shaking her head at her weird roommate. "Hello?" she drew the phone up to her ear.  
"Yo, Beca!" the familiar voice of Cynthia-Rose rang in her ear.  
"Hey! You passed through the gates of hell yet?"  
"Damn right I have! What dorm you in?"  
"Baker Hall, you?"  
"Martin Hall. You gotta get down to the quad though Bex – the rest of us are already here and we have an idea."  
"Okay…" Beca replied ominously, "I'll be there in five."

Already in the hallway of her dorm, she headed down to the front door and tried to navigate her way to the quad. It wasn't too hard as it seemed every other fresher was on their way there to the activities fair, and all of them seemed a lot more eager to be there than Beca did. She only hoped that her bandmates had found a good drumming group for her, or somewhere to recruit them for a few gigs.

Her mind was running hopefully through the various possibilities when suddenly she felt someone jump on her back from behind. "What up pip-squeak!" a strong Australian voice said, and she instantly recognised it as Fat Amy – the enthusiastic guitarist for their band. "You're breaking my back!" her voice strained until Amy released her, and she turned to face the rest of her group. Standing before her were Cynthia-Rose, their lead singer, Stacie, the keyboardist, and Fat Amy.

"Where's Jesse?" she asked, wondering where their bass guitarist had got to.  
"He's not here yet," Stacie answered, "But come on – we've got more important things to worry about!" The taller brunette grabbed Beca's hand, pulling her in the direction of some stands at the activities fair. In her other hand, Beca noticed a blue leaflet with musical notes all over it. Soon she realised that all the girls were clinging onto at least one.

"What's that?" she said, gesturing to the leaflet.  
"There's these girls who run a kind of band – they practically forced these things into our hands and wouldn't take no for an answer until we signed up for auditions, and it wouldn't be fair if we joined without you so we're taking you there to sign up as well!" Stacie explained excitedly.

"Wait, what kind of band? I've already got you guys, why do we need some paper-pushing wannabe to recruit us as well?"  
"They're… different. And we're obviously still going to keep the band going – this will just be something fun to do on the side."  
"I'm not convinced."  
"Come with us anyway – see what they're like and then decide afterwards. I mean, it's totally up to you what you do, but we're all signed up and it wouldn't be the same without you!"

Beca reluctantly agreed, allowing her friends to pull her closer to the activities fair until finally they fought through the mass of people to a very plain looking stand with two girls standing in front of them. One had a stern looking expression on her face, but she held herself well and had beautiful blonde hair. The other girl had striking red hair and was wearing a bright smile as she looked at the group of girls before her.

The blonde was about to shove another leaflet into their hands before realising that most of them were already clutching several, and so she lowered her arm to her side. "Oh, is this your friend that you were talking about?" the redhead said, and Beca looked around at her friends as they nodded enthusiastically. This really seemed like their kind of scene, not hers. She was in the band to be a drummer - the last thing she wanted was to be centre stage, or to be surrounded by people all fighting for the spotlight which was exactly what this group seemed like.

Nevertheless, Beca shook the hand that was outstretched towards her and smiled at the girl who introduced herself as Chloe, and her friend as Aubrey. The first thing she noticed about the redhead was her voice; even as she spoke, it seemed melodic in a way. Chloe's voice was the only reason why she hung around and listened about the 'Barden Bellas' for so long, and in the end the reason why she put her name down on the audition list despite the evident hostility from Aubrey. If joining the group for a couple of weeks meant she could hear this beautiful girl sing, then maybe it was worth a couple of hours of her time.

"What halls are you in?" Chloe asked once the formalities of recruitment were over.  
"Baker Hall. Where do you live?"  
"Me and Aubrey share an apartment about five minutes away from campus, it's really cool."  
They were about to continue the conversation, but a sharp 'ahem' from the blonde next to Chloe hinted that they should cut the chat so that they could both get back to recruiting more people to audition.

"I'll let you get on. See you around," Beca said as she walked away with her group of friends. They wandered down the path a bit further and noticed the Quidditch club, Dancing-in-circles club, and the Barden Deaf Jews, but it wasn't until they watched the small performance that the Treblemakers were putting on that Fat Amy suggested they get the hell out of there. None of them were interested in joining any other groups or societies, so they decided to just chill on the quad for a bit.

"Are you going to thank us for making you sign up?" Stacie asked, as if it was obvious.  
"Why would I do that? Have you seen those girls? Correction – have you seen _me_? I'm not their crowd."  
"But at least you got to chat to a hot girl today."  
"Even I didn't get a look in," Cynthia-Rose said.  
"She was kinda hot," Beca admitted, "But not hot enough to make me turn into one of their Barbies."

Her friends laughed off the conversation and allowed the topic to change onto something else, mainly how everyone was getting on with their new roommates. "Mine was already asleep when I arrived," Cynthia-Rose said, "Looks like she's going to be fun…"  
"I'd take the sleeping one any day," argued Fat Amy. "My roommate was playing the trumpet loudly and badly. Honestly, I've killed dingoes that were quieter."

Beca was about to relay the story of her awkward roommate, but before she could, Stacie cut her off as she pointed out, "Hey look – there's Jesse!" They all turned to look where their bandmate was pointing, and sure enough, Jesse was standing with another guy watching the Treblemakers. "That'd be awesome if he joins that Bella group as well!" Stacie continued.

"Erm, Stace? I'm pretty sure it's all girls," Beca said patronisingly, making her friends laugh sympathetically at the keyboardist. She shouted Jesse's name across the quad to try and get his attention, but he was already in conversation with the person next to him and her attempts seemed pointless. "Anyway, tell us about your roommate," Cynthia-Rose encouraged Beca.

Beca opened her mouth to describe Kimmy-Jin but once again she was interrupted, this time by Stacie whacking her in the side. "Hey!" she cried, "What the fu-" But soon she noticed why her friend had hit her. Heading their way was Chloe, the redhead from earlier, and she was smiling at Beca.

"Hello!" she warmly greeted the group of girls. They all nodded or replied back to her, but Beca was the only one to broach another conversation. "You been released from duty?" she asked jokingly. Chloe laughed and nodded, moving her hands to rest on her hips. "Yes, thankfully. Aubrey was pretty pissed but as I can take credit for all you and your friends signing up, I convinced her I deserved a break."  
"Well, no offense but she doesn't seem to have the most welcoming demeanour. I'm not surprised you've recruited more than her."  
"She's lovely once you get to know her, but even I'll admit she's not great at first impressions."

One of the girls invited Chloe to sit down with them, but she shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm going to take my lunch break while I can. Any of you want to join me? You must be starving after moving in this morning."  
"Sure, I'll come," Beca said, just as all of her friends shook their heads and made their apologies that they needed to finish unpacking/had to go sign up for Quidditch/had already eaten.

"Looks like it's you and me then, kid," Chloe said jokingly. Beca stood up smiling and brushed down her jeans before turning briefly to her friends, glaring at each one of them to try and analyse whether they were leaving her alone with Chloe on purpose. She was grateful her friends were trying to hook her up, but she didn't want Chloe to catch on to what they were doing. "I'll see you later," she finally said to the girls before turning and walking off with Chloe.

They fell easily into conversation about what they were studying: Beca – philosophy, and Chloe – engineering. Chloe was only too happy to talk about the Barden Bellas and what they got up to, and likewise Beca was eager to share stories about her band and what they had been doing over the summer. Shortly they arrived at a café, ordered their food and drink, and then sat down at the window seat.

"So are you excited? To audition for the Bellas, I mean," Chloe as she finished the last of her pasta. Beca contemplated for a moment whether or not she should lie, until eventually she decided it would be best to be honest. "I'm not even sure if I'm going to go," she confessed. Chloe raised her eyebrows in shock and stared at Beca for a moment, trying to figure out if the younger girl was joking or not. "Why not?" she eventually managed to ask, "Your friends all said you could sing really well!"

"They were lying," Beca said with a scoff. "I'm the drummer of the band for a reason – I'm a mediocre singer at best. Cynthia-Rose is our lead singer and she kicks ass at it, you'll definitely love her."  
"That sucks," Chloe replied. After a moment she asked, "Why drumming?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Drumming. Why that? Why not play guitar like other teenagers? I mean I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, I'm just saying it's a curious choice and I wonder why you got into it."  
"My mom bought me a drum kit when I was twelve years old, and I've been in love with it ever since."  
"Birthday or Christmas present?"  
"Neither," Beca replied, "Divorce bribe. Two weeks after she bought it for me, my parents split up. I think she liked the idea that if I drummed loud enough I couldn't hear them arguing about it."

"I'm sorry," Chloe said tentatively, reaching out comfortingly as she rested her hand on Beca's wrist. The action made Beca smile inside, not only because Chloe was beautiful and drop dead gorgeous, but also because her concern showed that she clearly had a kind soul as well. "Don't be," she said eventually, "I know some divorces really screw the kids up, but I saw it coming. I was happy about it, actually, because I knew that my parents would be a lot better off if they weren't together. Plus I got twice the presents, although saying that, my mom was always better at giving me gifts. She gave me a drum kit, and my dad gives me a free education at this shit hole."

"Hey, Barden isn't that bad," Chloe said defensively.  
"I know… I didn't mean to badmouth it on my first day here. It's just not what I want to be doing."  
"And what do you want to be doing?"  
"Making music in LA. Drumming for big name bands or forming my own one."  
"You're really committed to drumming, aren't you?" Chloe asked, her hand still resting on Beca's wrist.

"You're damn right," Beca replied, "It stopped being merely a hobby very quickly for me. It's all I ever want to do." Chloe smiled at her answer. It was refreshing to find someone with so much passion for something – most college students had been forced into an average lifestyle already where they were settling for what their schools had told them too, but Beca was full of rebellion to her core. Not necessarily the smoking, drinking, hair-dying rebellion to piss off mom and dad, but more the kind of rebellion in which she rebelled against the system. She already knew who she was and what she wanted, and she was ready to stand her ground against anyone who questioned it.

"I have an idea," Chloe suggested with a knowing smile. Without waiting for Beca to question it she continued, "There's an open floor night at the Victoria bar tomorrow, I think you should come along."  
"Open floor as in…"  
"Like an open mic night, but it's not just singing. They have a ton of instruments in the back for anyone to use and show off their skills on the floor. I think you'd love it."

Beca was definitely enticed by the idea; she loved performing, and knowing there was a drum kit waiting to be played was almost too good an offer to resist. However, her mind was made up when Chloe continued, "I'll be going. We could go together, maybe? Make a date of it?" Beca couldn't help it. A huge smile spread across her face at the word "date", and she was sold. Chloe didn't have to say another word to get her to agree to it. "It's a date," she replied with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Although I quote a scene heavily from the movie in this chapter, I do not own any rights to Pitch Perfect.**

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Beca sat on the raised stage behind the drum kit and looked out at the audience. The lights weren't bright enough to block out the people watching entirely, so instead they faded into a dark blur, giving Beca a moment to quickly examine the faces she could see. Better to do it now than get distracted in the middle of her performance, she thought.

Once she had glanced over the room, Beca allowed her eyes to drift shut as she took in a deep breath. Her hands tightened around the drumsticks in her hands for a moment and then released them once more, letting them rest in between her palms as her fingers traced up and down them, feeling for the familiar bumps and ridges. Although she couldn't bring her own drum-kit with her, Beca had been set on bringing her own drumsticks in the hope that she'd find somewhere to play. Already she felt safer, and being in her usual environment behind a drum-kit made her feel like she was starting to belong at Barden.

Looking down, she opened her eyes again and took a drumstick in either hand. The relaxation part was over. She had got used to the audience; she was calm and connected to the drums; now came the fun part. Beca put one stick on top of the other and rotated them together, making them smooth as she wore down the splinters. She could feel a slight heat begin to radiate from her hands and the sticks as she worked them together, until finally she could run her hands across them one by one and feel a smooth surface.

Usually when she played with the band she would look around at this moment, making sure her friends were ready for her to start playing the beat, but this was a solo performance. She didn't have to pay close attention to whether Cynthia-Rose missed a beat and then take that into account of her drumming. She didn't have to listen intently to Jesse when he decided to play a riff and notice whether he change his tempo or not. The next few minutes were all hers and she was going to make the most of them.

The event manager for the night gave her a nod from the front of the stage signalling her to start, and one corner of Beca's mouth lifted into a smile. She played four simple beats to start off with, and then the real music began. Feeling a connection with the music was like lying down amongst the waves. It washed over her with each surge of the song and felt like it could carry her anywhere she wanted it too. It was peace and exhilaration all at once, and she felt as though being in that seat, on that stage, with the drums in front of her was exactly where she was meant to be.

She broke into the climax of the piece and everyone in the bar cheered and clapped. Beca was aware of the mass in front of her, but as they were outside her zone she never paid them much attention. The cheers however spurred her on, and as she felt everyone else get into the music she fed off their energy and played even louder and harder. Nothing existed to her but the drums. The fact that she was at a college she didn't want to be in didn't exist to her in that moment. The fact that she was still under the control of her father didn't exist. It was just Beca, the drums, and a cheering mass in front of her.

As the song came to an end the room gradually came back into focus, but the adrenaline from playing still lingered. The energy soon faded though as Beca stood up from the seat and she snapped back into reality, stepping off the stage with a grin on her face as she went to find Chloe.

The bubbly redhead had been standing by the bar as Beca went up to play and soon found herself being approach by a man she didn't recognise. "Are you here with Beca?" he asked.  
"Yes… And you are?" Chloe replied dubiously.  
"I'm Jesse," he said, extending a hand to shake. "I'm in a band with Beca."

"I've heard a lot about your band. I'm Chloe," she replied, shaking Jesse's hand.  
"So how do you know her?" Jesse asked curiously.  
"We met yesterday; the rest of your bandmates dragged her to sign up to the acapella group I'm in – the Barden Bellas. We went for coffee, and she confessed she's more of a drummer than a singer, so I thought it'd be good to bring her here tonight."  
"Nice idea. Prepare to be blown away by her talent," Jesse replied, and before any more could be said, the lights dimmed around them to signify the start of the next performance – Beca's.

Chloe watched and listened in awe as Beca played. It felt like to see her play was to be let in on a secret; as though she and every other person in the audience were being allowed a private viewing into the most glorious part of Beca's life. Up on stage, she seemed to fit. She blended in with the instrument as though she was a part of it, and it was beautiful to watch. The way that her hair slid slightly out of place as she nodded her head along to the beat… The way that she bit her lip on the parts of the song that really called for extra passion and energy… The way that her hands moved so deftly over the drums and whatever way they moved seemed to dictate where the rest of her body went… It was breath-taking.

Too soon, the song came to a close. Beca stood up and left the stage, the tumultuous applause following her as she went. Chloe cheered too, and Jesse raised his hands above his head as he clapped. "Wow! She's incredible!" Chloe said with awe in her voice and a wide grin on her face.  
"Told you," Jesse said proudly.

Before Beca arrived, Chloe decided to buy a couple of beers to greet her with. As she and Jesse stood at the bar waiting for their orders, he turned to her and said, "I see the way you look at her." Chloe turned and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. The bartender interrupted her reply as he handed them their drinks, and she smiled thankfully at him before returning to Jesse. "What do you mean?" she asked, an irritated tone to her voice.  
"When she was playing just now: you look at her as though she's the greatest thing in the world. I know you like her."  
"What?! I was looking at her like that because of how amazing her playing is, not because I like her!" Chloe replied incredulously, although she could tell she was being overly defensive.

"Whatever," Jesse said. At that moment they both saw Beca headed their way, and she grinned at the sight of her two friends. As she got closer, Chloe could see that there was a trace of nervousness in Beca's smile, but it vanished as she pulled her into a hug and said, "That was insane! You're incredible!"  
"Thanks," Beca said as she allowed Jesse to pull her into a one armed hug and pat her on the back. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh we just met," Jesse clarified. "I saw you come in together and thought I'd form a Beca Mitchell fan club." His friend punched him playfully in the arm and he laughed. "Anyway, I better get going. I'm pretty sure Benji is lost somewhere amongst the crowds." He hugged Beca once more, and Chloe was surprised when he pulled her into a hug as well. There was an ulterior motive to his kindness though, which Chloe found out when he whispered into her ear, "Just so you know, she looks at you the same way," before pulling away.

She couldn't help but smile as he walked away. Once he had disappeared into a group of people she turned back to Beca and held out a beer towards her. "Mm… Thank you!" Beca said gratefully, and they relaxed into a couple of barstools to enjoy the rest of the performances for the evening.

At the end of the night, Chloe offered to walk Beca home which was gratefully accepted. It wasn't a long walk from the bar to campus and both of them found themselves wishing it was longer. Standing outside Beca's door they were both reluctant to leave, but class the next morning meant that it was probably about time they both retreated to their own beds. "I had a good time tonight," Beca said with a small voice and a big smile.  
"So did I," Chloe replied, "You really are a talented drummer."

Beca blushed at the comment and looked down at her feet, but the slight pinkness of her cheeks was nothing compared to the deep red hue that suddenly took over as Chloe leant in and kissed her once on each cheek to say goodbye. She could have interpreted it as nothing more than a friendly gesture, but there was something in Chloe's eyes suggesting that it was meant as something more, and Beca returned the gaze. "Goodnight," Chloe said, turning to leave.  
"Night…"

A few days passed and Beca only spoke to Chloe through texts; most of which consisted of Beca theorising about all the places she would rather be than in her Philosophy class. Later that evening, Beca, Jesse, Fat Amy, Stacie, and Cynthia-Rose met up for a quick band practise in one of the music rooms. Being a music student, Jesse was able to pull a few strings and book the room for a few hours. The two guitarists had been able to bring their guitars to college with them, but Jesse employed the help of his friend, Benji, to help them acquire a drum kit and keyboard for Beca and Fat Amy.

Seeing as it was their first time reunited as a band since starting Barden, there seemed to be a newer energy buzzing around them as they played. The absence of being together for a couple of weeks and the excitement of being in a new place seemed to charge their songs even more than usual, and even Beca admitted that it made Barden a lot more bearable knowing she had her band to return to.

"Me and Stacie are going to grab a pizza before heading back to dorms, want to come?" Fat Amy asked Beca as they stepped into the cold evening air. "Maybe another time; I really want to have a shower tonight before it gets too busy."

She waved her friends goodbye and headed back to her dorm room, where her roommate was sitting silent as ever at her desk. "I'm just heading to the shower," Beca announced once she had gathered her stuff together, not that Kimmy Jin would care or even notice. Making sure she had everything, Beca left her room and walked down the hallway to her shower block, singing the start of 'Titanium' under her breath. Feeling more confident to sing louder once she was in the shower block, she continued: "_But I can't hear a word you say._"

She hung up her toiletries on the handle and pulled the curtain: "_Talking loud, not saying much. I'm criticised, but all your bullets ricochet_". Finally, she took off her bathrobe and flung it over the wall of the shower, and turned on the water: "_You shoot me down, but I get up. I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim…_"

Before she could sing the next line, the shower curtain was pulled back and she heard a familiar voice behind her exclaim, "You can sing!"  
"Dude!" Beca cried, spinning around quickly and drawing the curtain again. Apparently ignorant to her attempts at maintaining some form of privacy, Chloe pulled the curtain back once more and asked, "How high does your belt go?" with a tone of fascination.  
"Oh my god…" Beca said in disbelief, now clutching her shampoo and shower gel to hide herself as best as she could.

"You have to audition for the Bellas! You're more than just a drummer!" Chloe said, showing nowhere near as much concern about her nudity as Beca was.  
"I can't concentrate on anything you're saying until you cover your junk…" Beca replied, trying her hardest to avert her eyes from Chloe's body. The older student continued talking, but Beca didn't hear a word she said as she reached for the shower curtain once more in an attempt to cover herself up. It only made things worse though, as she ended up dropping everything in her arms that she was using to hide herself with and she bent down in a hurry to pick them up, with no help from Chloe other than an unconcerned exclamation of, "Oops!"

"Seriously?! I am nude," Beca said as she stood up and turned to face the wall, feeling like it was about time she pointed out the obvious.  
"You were singing Titanium, right?"  
"You know David Guetta?"  
"Have I been living under a rock?! Yeah! That song is my jam… my _lady jam_," Chloe said with a wink.  
"That's nice…" Beca replied, quickly pinching her arm to check this wasn't some crazy dream.

"Can you sing it for me?"  
"Dude, no! Get out!"  
"Not for that reason!" Chloe hurriedly explained, "I'm not leaving here until you sing, so…" Beca stayed silent, turning to smile embarrassedly at Chloe, hoping that she was joking. A deep sigh from the redhead indicated that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and so Beca turned around once more with her arms folded across her chest. Nervously she began: "_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose…_"

Chloe joined in on the next line, and they sang through the whole chorus in perfect harmony. The more they sang together, the more comfortable Beca became and she relaxed her arms slightly from her chest reassured now that Chloe's main focus was her voice. Once they finished, Chloe smiled for a moment before coming back to reality and acknowledging her lack of clothing for the first time. "Oh, I'm pretty confident about… all this," she said, gesturing to her body.

"You should be," Beca said with a small grin, watching Chloe's eyes flicker as she received the compliment. "Um… I still need to shower…" Beca muttered, unsure of what the social etiquette was to proceed after a situation like this.  
"Oh right, of course!" Chloe said as though suddenly realising what a shower was actually for. She turned and walked out, pulled on her robe and picked up her toiletries before heading to the door. Just as the door was closing behind her she called out, "See you at auditions, drummer girl!"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello everyone, thank you so much for your interest in this story. Please keep reviewing! I meant to say this at the beginning, but credit for this story idea comes from Rubiksmaniac, who messaged me with a plot line in mind which is now evolving into this story. These first few chapters are setting up the scene for the main catalyst, which will occur around Chapter 5/6, so keep reading! Jen x**

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As soon as she was home from her Philosophy class, Beca had decided it was time for a nap. She had set her alarm to wake her up in time for auditions, but evidently she had slept through it. If it wasn't for the hoard of Kimmy Jins friends that had decided to burst into their dorm room to play Mario Kart, Beca would still be fast asleep. Sleepily she turned over in bed and glanced at her clock. "Mm… Come on guys…" she said, "Let me sleep."  
"It's seven o'clock. Sleep later," one of her roommates friends said irritably. Beca's eyes drifted shut again while an angry pout appeared on her lips before she could process what had been said.

Suddenly, the girl's words sunk in and her eyes shot open again. She sat up quickly and asked, "Are you kidding me?" When no one answered her, she looked again at her clock and realised that it was indeed 7pm. "Shit!" she cried. Ignoring the five other people in the room, Beca stumbled heavily out of bed and put on a bra beneath her pyjama top before taking the shirt off, replacing it with a cleaner one. "If one of you turns around to face me I swear I will throw your Wii out the window faster than you can say Luigi," she said angrily, and waited until all eyes were averted before changing into a pair of jeans. Pulling on her shoes on the way to the door, she grabbed her bag at the last minute praying that it had her phone and keys in it before running out of the dorm room.

She flew out of the building as fast as her little legs would carry her and didn't bother slowing down until she was right outside the door to the stage. Figuring that it was best to catch her breath before going in, she waited for a minute outside to take big gulps of air before gently pushing the door open. The auditions were already underway and she didn't see any way of getting onto the stage without being noticed for her tardiness, and so she retreated back into the corridor. Still breathing heavily, Beca followed the signs that led to backstage and decided that was her best bet if she still wanted to audition.

Slowly she crept in between the curtains, wringing her hands nervously as she hoped to catch someone's eye. It seemed that Jesse was last to perform and as he walked of stage he grinned at her, meeting her in the wings. "You came! I was starting to wonder if the song choice had put you off!"  
"Wh-what song choice?"  
"Since You've Been Gone… The one we had to prepare for this?"  
"Shit! Why didn't you tell me?!" Beca exclaimed, raising her hands to her head.  
"I thought you knew! Looks like you're going to have to improvise. I'll catch you later."

Just like that, Jesse walked off with nothing more than a good luck pat on her shoulder. Someone from the seats announced that the auditions were over, and so Beca forced herself to wander out a bit further until someone noticed her. Thankfully, it was Chloe as she interrupted everyone leaving. "Wait, there's one more!" she called out with a smile.  
"I didn't know we had to prepare that song…" Beca said nervously, aware she wasn't making the best impression. Although somewhere close beneath the surface, she knew that the only person she cared about impressing was Chloe.

"That's okay, sing anything you want," Chloe replied as everyone returned to their seats. As she walked to centre stage, Beca tried to think as fast as she could of a song to sing, and eventually as her eyes landed on a cup on the desk, she knew what to do. Being late didn't give a good impression, neither did coming unprepared, so she would have to find a better reason to stand out. At the same time she wanted to do something she knew was within her comfort zone, and so as she reached for the cup belonging to the blonde on Chloe's left, she focused her mind on drumming.

It was a simple skill that she had learned one summer at a music camp, and the lead drummer there taught his group how to do it. She began to clap her hands and tap the cup, creating a steady beat before singing, "_I got my ticket for the long way round, two bottle of whiskey for the way._"

She wasn't sure how everyone was reacting to her performance, but she kept her eyes trained firmly on the cup so nothing could distract her. Once she finished, she folded her hands into her lap and relaxed a bit as she saw Chloe smiling brightly up at her. She managed a small smile back, but more than anything she was happiest to get up and off the stage. She exited the same way she came in, and as she pushed the door to get outside she was hit with not only a breath of fresh air but also every one of her bandmates in front of her. "Hey! You guys waited?"  
"Hell yes, Jesse told us you were last to audition so we figured we'd meet you out here," Fat Amy said, punching her in the arm.

Beca figured it was supposed to be a friendly punch, but she ended up trying to rub the pain away anyway. "How'd it go?" Jesse asked.  
"Yeah, Jess said you didn't know we had to sing Kelly Clarkson," Stacie said.  
"I kinda sang something else, but I don't know how it went. I guess we'll see. Anyway – who's up for a drink?"

Her suggestion was greeted with shouts of approval, and so they turned to head to the nearest bar. They managed to find a table to sit all of them with ease and Beca went up to the bar with Cynthia-Rose to order the first round of drinks. A couple of hours passed along with many, many beers until Beca was beginning to feel tipsy.

"Hey – Hey, Beca," Fat Amy said loudly. Anyone would think she was drunk, but in actual fact she was the strongest drinker of them all. "Isn't that the hot chick from the first day?" she said, gesturing towards the bar with her beer. The whole band looked over and saw none other than Chloe sitting on a stool with one of her friends, ordering their first drinks. "You shoulds go un talk on her," Jesse said with an evident slur in his words. Apparently he was the lightweight of the group. "No, I really can't," Beca said, holding up one of her hands in protest and taking a large swig of her beer. "C'mon, _she told me she likes you_," Jesse whispered loudly.

Soon the whole table started chanting under their breath, "Talk-to-her, talk-to-her, talk-to-her!" getting louder and louder until Beca started to get really worried that Chloe would soon hear. "Fine! Okay, I'll go talk to her! Now will all of you please shut up!" Beca said, reluctantly standing up. She downed the rest of her beer and walked over to the bar, trying to ignore her friends encouragements from behind. Chloe and her friend, were sitting in deep conversation, and so Beca stood there for a moment awkwardly waiting to be noticed.

Eventually she opted for the more upfront move and tapped Chloe on the back, swinging herself onto the barstool next to her. "Hey! How are you?" Chloe said eagerly.  
"I'm good. How are you?"  
"Okay, ready for a drink though. Oh - this is my best friend, Aubrey, who you know from the activities fair and auditions today."  
"Nice to meet you," Beca said with a smile, and despite Aubrey smiling back, she couldn't help but feel that the blonde was judging her.

"We can't talk to you about auditions. Our opinions are entirely confidential," Aubrey said sharply.  
"That's not why I'm here," Beca replied, raising her eyebrows. "I actually came to talk to Chloe."  
"Oh… Carry on then. I've just seen someone from my class I need to talk to anyway," Aubrey said and got up to leave.  
"Shall we get a table?" Chloe asked, resting her hand on Beca's arm.  
"Sure," she replied, and led Chloe to a free table while Aubrey went to socialise.

They sat down and Chloe soon noticed that Beca didn't have a drink, and so eagerly offered to buy her one. "No, really it's okay. I've already had quite a few beers so I'll wait until you get onto my level before drinking anymore."

As it turned out, it didn't take too long for Chloe to get on Beca's level, and soon they were both returning to the bar. "Two suicide shots, please."  
"What the hell is a suicide shot?" Beca asked.  
"What bars did you grow up in?! Salt on the back of your hand – lick it off. Take a shot of tequila, and then bite a lemon slice."  
"That sounds… vile."  
"It's really not that bad," Chloe explained as the bartender placed the drinks in front of them.

"You ready?"  
"Hmm… Okay," Beca replied with a grimace, sprinkling the salt on the back of her hand. Chloe did the same, and they counted down from three before licking their hands and downing the shots. "Ew! Ew! Ew!" Beca cried after biting the lemon. "Okay – I'm choosing the next drink."

They spent the next hour chatting and making each other try their favourite drinks, shuffling their seats closer and closer together as the minutes passed. By the time they finished drinking a Disaronno and coke, their legs were flush together and Chloe's fingertips were tracing circles on the top of Beca's thigh. "Do you want to get out of here?" Beca asked, her eyes moving from Chloe's eyes to her lips.

Chloe didn't have to speak to answer. She stood up and put her hands on Beca's hips to help her jump down from the bar stool before taking the smaller girls hand to lead her out of the bar. Thankfully Chloe's apartment wasn't far, and the two girls held tightly onto each other as they hurried down the pathways – their vision swaying slightly from the alcohol. They made it clumsily up the stairs and into the apartment which wasn't that much bigger from Beca's – the main difference being that there were two separate rooms for her and Aubrey to sleep in, and a small fridge in the living area.

As soon as they made it into the apartment, Beca pushed Chloe up against the door as it shut, her hands resting firmly on her waist and their faces only millimetres apart. "You're beautiful," she said, her eyes tracing over all of Chloe's features.  
"Kiss me," Chloe demanded, and Beca didn't hesitate in responding. She pressed her lips firmly against Chloe's, leaning even closer so that there was no distance at all between their bodies. As her hands roamed upwards into Chloe's hair, Chloe's hands drifted down to Beca's ass and pulled her even closer.

The pressure on her body felt so good, which is why when Beca pulled away, Chloe let out a small moan of complaint. "Can we have another drink?" Beca whispered; their faces still close enough that Chloe could feel her breath on her lips as she spoke. "Sure," she replied, and kissed Beca once more before moving to the fridge. Once she had some shot glasses and a bottle, she started walking towards the door on the left and said, "Follow me."

Beca held onto the hem of Chloe's t-shirt at the back as they both walked into her bedroom and sat down on the bed. "Mm… tequila," Beca said when she noticed the bottle, and reached out for a shot glass. "Uh-uh," Chloe said teasingly, holding the glass away from Beca. "I have an idea."

Beca look at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate. However, the only thing Chloe said further was, "Lie down." The suspense of what Chloe had planned mixed with the warm buzz of the alcohol in her system was turning Beca on, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to kiss every inch of Chloe's body. She watched as Chloe revealed a salt shaker in her other hand and leant forwards to sprinkle it on Beca's neck. "I don't have any lemons, so this will have to do," she said quietly, moving Beca's hair out of the way of the salt. She moved slowly closer and closer to Beca until her lips were inches away from her neck, and then she pressed her mouth against her skin, licking all the salt away.

Once it was all gone, Chloe sat up again and took a shot of tequila, wincing as it burnt her throat on the way down. "Now you do me," she said, and the husk in her voice meant that Beca didn't need telling twice. She sat up, moved Chloe's vibrant hair to one side, and directed her to tilt her neck. She took the salt from Chloe's hand and poured some onto her skin, licking it away for a few seconds longer than what was probably needed. Chloe handed her a shot that she had poured out and Beca downed it quickly, wincing similarly to Chloe. "Here – this will help take away the sting of it," Chloe said and kissed Beca lightly on the lips, moving her tongue gently inside Beca's mouth to take her mind off the alcohol.

Things were getting fuzzy as they were both getting drunker, and so Chloe decided it was time to move things along. She wanted to have a good time, but she also wanted to remember it the next morning.

"Take off your shirt," she told Beca, her voice full of lust, and the brunette complied. "Lie down." Beca leant back onto the bed. She looked up at the ceiling as she felt Chloe sprinkle a line of salt leading from her belly button to just above the hem of her jeans, and she waited eagerly to feel her mouth tracing away the grains. She didn't have to wait long as Chloe sat with her legs straddling Beca before moving her lips across Beca's stomach, licking gently at the trail of salt. Her warm breath ghosted further and further down; her tongue leaving a line of tenderness down her skin.

Soon she reached the end of the line, but this time, Chloe didn't bother to take a shot of tequila afterwards. Instead, she unbuttoned Beca's jeans and pulled them off, but before she could reach her underwear, Beca stopped her. "Remember?" she said, "Now I do you," and she reached up to undress Chloe.

The salt and tequila was soon forgotten on the floor along with every item of clothing, and their mouths were roaming every inch of skin whether it was covered in salt or not. They both had so much sexual energy that neither could wait their turn, and so Chloe sat with her legs either side of Beca's, both giving and receiving at the same time. She was certain that the whole floor would be able to hear their moans – if not the first time round then definitely the second. They lost all concepts of time and space around them; the only judge being their sexual drive and energy levels until they finally fell asleep next to one another, their legs tangled amidst the sheets.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello! I'm so sorry that this update has taken a while. I was away on holiday for a week and then I planned to update as soon as I got home, but a lot of personal/family things happened (break-ups, illness, dementia & cancer in the family, results day, university), so I haven't been able to write for a long time. The important thing is I'm here now! And I'll be updating a lot more frequently to make up for my lapse last month. I hope you enjoy it! Jen x**

"Could you be any louder?" Chloe hissed at Beca as she practically fell out of bed.

"I'm sorry! It's not my fault I wasn't blessed with your elegance and grace…"  
Aubrey was awake and in the main room – standing right in the way of where Beca needed to go. "Can't I just walk by her?" Beca asked pleadingly.  
"No! I really want you in the Bellas, and if she knows we slept together then she won't let you in. She'll think I have a 'biased opinion' or whatever."

Beca pouted grumpily and proceeded to grab her clothes from Chloe's floor, trying her best to tiptoe around the bottle of tequila. Chloe couldn't help but watch the smaller girl as she got dressed; she was too mesmerising to ever take her eyes off of. Once she was eventually clothed again, she leaned down to give Chloe a kiss goodbye but found herself being pulled once more on top of the redhead.

"You know, you could just stay here until she leaves… I'm sure I could keep you entertained," Chloe whispered before pulling Beca in for a long kiss. Beca could feel her hands aching to roam all over Chloe once more, and so she reluctantly pulled away before she got too distracted. "I really, _really_ want to, but I have to get to class. Plus I have a hangover, so I want to stop by my dorm room first to change… get some aspirin… curl up in a dark corner…"

"Hmph… Fine," Chloe said, "Guess I'll see you in a few days then."  
"Why not tomorrow?"  
"I have stuff to plan for the Bellas with Aubrey and I need to get to my own classes as well."  
"We could always skip class for a couple of days…"  
"You're such a bad influence!" Chloe said mockingly, giving Beca a light shove so she almost fell off the bed.

"I thought you wanted me to be quiet – not fall on the floor again!" Beca hissed as she picked up the last of her belongings. She took in a deep breath and rested her hands on her hips. "Okay, let's go over the plan one last time. You call Aubrey in and I'll hide behind the door. Once she's on the other side of the room I'll sneak out before she sees me."  
"Exactly."  
"Just make sure you keep her attention on you. I'm really not in the mood for her to make my headache any worse."  
"I'll try my best," Chloe said with a wide grin. She waited until Beca was positioned against the wall where the door would swing open and then called out, "Bree, can you come here for a sec?"

Moments later the door opened and Beca held her breath and her bag as tightly as she could. Much to her annoyance, Aubrey didn't move from the doorway and it occurred to her from the expression on Chloe's face that the other girl hadn't thought up a reason to get Aubrey to move any further inside. "Morning," Aubrey said brightly. "You okay?"  
"No…" Chloe replied slowly, clearly formulating a plan in her head as she spoke.  
"What's wrong?"

Chloe fidgeted in her bed slightly and sat up, giving herself more time to think until she finally said, "There was a spider right next to my bed and I am not getting up until it's gone."  
"I don't see it."  
"It ran underneath my bed," Chloe said with a lot of concern in her voice. Even Beca was starting to be convinced that there was a spider running around the floor. "Can you get it for me?" the redhead asked innocently.

Thankfully, Aubrey took a few steps into the room and crouched down by the side of the bed, looking thoroughly amidst the clutter underneath Chloe's bed for the non-existent spider. "I think I see it," she said, carefully reaching her arm out, and Beca took the opportunity to slide out from behind the door and back away into the main room. She gave Chloe one last wink and then turned around, tiptoeing to the front door as quickly as she could. Slowly she clicked the front door open and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door quickly behind her.

As she walked to her own dorm room she got her phone out and text Chloe straight away.

_Never would have guessed you're scared of spiders._

Several days passed and Beca was sitting at her desk working on a new mix, watching the clock slowly tick passed midnight. There was the usual noise coming from the corridor but nothing her headphones couldn't block out. Just as she moved them from her neck to her ears, there was a sudden knock at the door. She turned around to look at her roommate, Kimmy Jin, in the hope that she would open the door and allow Beca to keep working on her mix uninterrupted, but the other girl was already fast asleep (or at least pretending to be).

With a heavy sigh, Beca stood up and rested her headphones on her desk, wondering who the hell would be knocking at this time. Part of her hoped it was Chloe, but she couldn't help but doubt that hope as she hadn't heard from the bubbly redhead all afternoon. She was so used to texting Chloe on a frequent basis that she had significantly noticed her absence that afternoon, and she was already starting to miss their conversations.

Beca opened the door only a crack, but her efforts at maintaining boundaries from the unannounced visitor were pointless. Whoever stood behind the door forced it open even further, catching Beca off guard as a black hood was hurriedly pushed down over her head. She screamed loudly and starting thrashing out at her mysterious attacker, but it seemed nothing could stop the strength opposing her.

She heard Kimmy Jin sit up from her side of the room and Beca hoped desperately her roommate would rescue her, but the only support she received was an angry mutter of, "For fucks sake…"

Beca knew she was on her own with this one and so put all her might into fighting back against the hands that were dragging her out into the corridor. Just as she was about to scream again, a hand moved over her mouth and she felt warm breath on the side of her face as her attacker moved their mouth right next to her ear. "Shh… You don't want to wake everyone up," a female voice said, and it took Beca a few moments to identify who it was.

She stopped struggling and allowed herself to be pulled along, and as she stopped resisting her mouth was finally released so she could breathe better again. "Chloe?" she hissed angrily, but no one responded. Instead she was walked further down the corridor, into the elevator, and soon she was met with the cold rush of air as they stepped outside. "Come on, these are the last two," she heard another voice say, and she realised that Chloe wasn't alone.

Her feet were starting to freeze as they walked on the cold pavement seeing as she didn't have any shoes on, but she realised things could have been a lot worse if she hadn't been up working on her mix. She could have been dragged from her nice warm bed and walked outside in her pyjamas, but thankfully she had remained in jeans and an old t-shirt as she sat working. They turned around a corner and Beca strained her ears to hear any sign of other people with her, but all she could hear was her own breath filling the black hood over her face.

"Careful, there's a step," a voice said, and Beca felt Chloe's hands move so that one was resting on the small of her back, the other holding her hand as she guided her up the step. The warmth surrounding her told Beca that they were now inside another building, but she couldn't fathom which one. Before she had time to focus on the smells and sounds around her, Chloe's mouth suddenly appeared next to her ear again and whispered, "It's good to see you."  
"You can't see me. There's a hood over my face, remember?" Beca replied quietly.

"Well, it's good to touch you again," Chloe said, making Beca even more aware of her hand that was resting at the base of her spine. "And this whole me being in control thing, it's kind of hot, don't you think?" The husk in her voice made Beca slightly weak in the knees, which didn't help as they were still walking further into the building.

"I'd find it a lot hotter if I didn't have a bag over my head."  
"Don't like confined spaces?"  
"You're scared of spiders; I'm scared of the dark," Beca confessed.  
"Shit, sorry," Chloe said genuinely, and held Beca's hand a bit tighter. "We're almost there now, I promise."

Soon enough they came to a standstill, and Chloe gave Beca's hand one final squeeze before letting go and walking away. Two sets of footsteps walked around behind her and a little off to her right, and finally Beca heard the other girl say, "Congratulations – you've made it. I'd like to welcome the sopranos: Jessica, Mary-Elise, Lilly."

The voice came closer as she continued, "The mezzos: Cynthia-Rose, Stacie, Kori." Accompanying her words was the sound of what Beca hoped to be the hoods being taken off their heads, and sure enough she was finally able to see light as the girl announced, "And our altos: Fat Amy, Denise, Ashley, and Beca." She looked around and noticed that they were in the auditorium, surrounded by hundreds of candles. Chloe and her friend, who Beca now recognised as Aubrey, stood in front of the row of girls with a table of scarves in front of them.

"We shall begin by drinking the blood of the sisters who came before you," Aubrey said proudly as she raised a goblet up before them, and then passed it on to Chloe to bring around to the new initiates. She came around to Beca first who was wearing a very stubborn look on her face as she said, "Dude, no," but Chloe passed it to her anyway with a reassuring wink. Just before Beca sipped it she explained, "Don't worry, it's Boone's Farm."

Once they had all drank from the cup, Aubrey came around and handed out blue and gold scarves to each one of the girls, and Beca took that time to look at the other poor girls standing around her that she assumed had also been dragged from their rooms. Several of them were in their pyjamas, one was clearly dressed up for a night out, and the rest were luckily like her – in warm everyday clothes, although missing items you'd usually grab before you left the house of your own accord, such as shoes or a jacket.

They recited a bizarre ritual after Aubrey, and then the lights were all suddenly switched on as the blonde announced, "Congratulations – you are all Bella women now!" A few of the girls cheered, the others looked around confused at what they had got themselves into by standing up to audition a few days ago. Beca's eyes searched for Chloe and she eventually saw the older girl looking at her with a smug grin before walking over in her direction.

"Sorry for the whole theatrical kidnapping beforehand, it's kind of a tradition," Chloe explained apologetically.  
"It's okay. Just tell me I can please go home now?"  
"Not yet, there's still the initiation party!"

Beca groaned, but Chloe grabbed one of her hands and pulled her towards the door where all the other girls were heading. "It's going to be fun! I promise there will be no candles or drinking blood, it's just all the acapella groups hanging out with their new initiates and drinking as much booze as possible."  
"Fine…" Beca agreed reluctantly, stepping as cautiously as she could the whole way to the party as she grumbled to Chloe about not being given chance to put shoes on.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello! I don't often like asking readers to review my work - I want you to feel like you can just read without the pressure of having to respond! But for this chapter and a few after it would mean a lot to me if I had your feedback. Thank you! x**

Putting aside the fact that Beca had been dragged from her room in the middle of the night, she was actually enjoying the party. The music was good, there was plenty of drink, and soon found herself reunited with her band members. "Did you get hustled from your room 007-style too?" Fat Amy asked as she approached Beca, closely followed by Stacie and Cynthia-Rose.  
"Yep, black hood and everything."  
"I found the hood quite a turn on," Stacie said with a grin.

"You find everything a turn on," another voice said, and the girls turned to see Jesse walking up to them.  
"No way – are you in the Barden Bellas too?!" Beca asked sarcastically.  
"Ha ha, very funny. I got recruited by the Treble Makers."  
"Ooh so are you our rival now?" Cynthia Rose mocked.  
"Looks that way. We're still going to meet up for band practice though, right?"

"Sure, as long as we keep it quiet from Aubrey," Beca said, and the other girls nodded in agreement.  
"Good point," Fat Amy said, "No offense Jess but it's just our leader is more like a dictator. We're forbidden from being treble-boned by a treble-tone."

Jesse laughed uncomfortably. "Wh-what?! I'm not going to… bone any of you."  
"We know that, she doesn't," Beca explained. "I'm going to get another drink, anyone want one?" The rest of her bandmates shook their heads holding mostly full cups, so Beca headed off to the drinks table on her own.

Just as she was pouring out her drink, a pair of hands landed on her waist and she jumped, throwing cider everywhere. "Dude!" she cried out, but as she turned around she noticed that the hands that caused the mess belonged to Chloe. "Oops, sorry!" she said unapologetically. "Enjoying the party?"  
"Yeah, it's alright I guess," Beca replied.  
"Just alright?"  
"Well I am still recovering from the ambush earlier on, but the alcohol seems to be helping with that."

"Sorry about that, again…" Chloe said sheepishly, but maintained a mischievous look in her eyes. "There must be some way I can make it up to you?" she asked suggestively, taking Beca's cup and placing it onto the table so that she could hold both of the younger girl's hands. As much as she appreciated the physical contact, she pulled away from Chloe and said quietly, "What about Aubrey?"  
"Well I wasn't planning on asking her to join us if that's what you mean."  
"No! I mean what if she sees us? I didn't sneak out of your room the other day for nothing. She's probably even monitoring how close we're standing right now."

"C'mon, she's not that bad! But if it makes you feel better, we could always take this somewhere more private…" Chloe suggested, and the ways her eyes were glinting made it impossible for Beca to say no. They grabbed a drink each and made small talk as they walked through the party, saying hi to Beca's bandmates who nudged and winked at Beca when they saw her with Chloe, dodging a drunk Bumper and Donald, until finally they had rounded the corner to the quad.

They stuck to a path well hidden by trees and once they were sure Aubrey was nowhere in sight, they stopped walking. Beca took a sip of her beer, hiding most of her face from Chloe, who couldn't stop staring at it. "You're making me feel really awkward!" the brunette whined, holding the cup higher to conceal as much of her face as possible.  
"Why?!"  
"You keep looking at me!"  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
"Yes! Why don't you look at the flowers or something," Beca suggested, starting to turn her whole head away.

Chloe stopped her, holding Beca's chin and turning her head back until they were face to face. "Why would I want to do that? You're beautiful." Beca scoffed in reply and looked at the floor. "Do you really think I don't find you beautiful?" Chloe said, "I didn't just have sex with you the other night cos I was desperately lonely."  
"No, you were desperately drunk though."  
"True, but I didn't regret any of it in the morning. And I don't regret anything now," Chloe said, and leaned in until her lips were pressed against Beca's.

The kiss was slow and gentle; nothing like the rushed, lustful crashing and dancing their mouths did the other night. Beca could almost feel her beauty seeping in from Chloe's lips and into hers. She could feel the way that Chloe saw her, taste the way that Chloe felt about her, just from the way she was being kissed.

Suddenly, two drunken Treblemakers stumbled onto the quad nearby and the girls pulled apart, shrinking back into the shadows in the hope that the dark would keep their secrets. "Let's go back to my place," Chloe suggested, linking her fingers with Beca's, but the smaller girl shook her head. "No. Let's go to mine. I'm not in the mood for sneaking out again tomorrow morning."  
"Don't you have a roommate?"  
"I will kick her out," Beca replied, feeling that familiar burning in her stomach that made her want Chloe more than anything. "Besides, my place is only across the way. Yours is practically miles away."

There was a mutual understanding between the girls of their eagerness to be with one another again. The other night was a drunken whirlwind full of lust and passion, but tonight they knew that sex would be more than just a fuck – they wanted to feel as close to each other as possible, and as soon as possible.

Avoiding the drunken trebles, they headed across the quad, holding hands and laughing at one guy convinced that a tree had stolen his jacket. It wasn't long before they reached Beca's dorm room, and as she pushed the door open she noticed that thankfully, Kimmy Jin had left. Clearly the interruption a few hours earlier had put her off sleeping in the room much longer, and the music from the initiation party could be heard through their window which was an extra deterrent. It was no wonder she left. Chloe pushed the door shut behind her and made sure Beca was looking straight into her eyes as she grabbed the hem of her own top, and lifted it over her head. Beca did the same and so they both stood in their jeans and underwear, until the distance between them was once again too much to take.

Beca's hands went straight to Chloe's back as she felt Chloe's hands pull on her waist, and their stomachs were pressed up against each other as they kissed with nothing but passion. Chloe felt Beca's tongue intrude into her mouth and she returned the favour, reaching up to unclasp the younger woman's bra. Beca worked as a reflection of Chloe, unclasping her bra as she felt her own one fall to the floor, unbuttoning Chloe's jeans as she felt nimble fingers work on her own.

It was only when there was no more clothing between them that Beca assumed her independence, no longer merely mirroring Chloe's actions but actually taking the chance to be in control. She walked Chloe over to her desk and put her hands beneath her thighs, encouraging her to sit on the area of the desk that wasn't taken up with equipment. She began to kiss Chloe's neck, and then her chest, until she finally worked her way down to the inner of Chloe's thigh. Just as she thought she had the redhead right where she wanted her, Beca suddenly felt a light grip on her hair pulling her up to eye level again.

"I'm making it up to you, remember?" Chloe said, and pulled Beca close so that she could feel Chloe's wetness pressing against her own skin. Knowing she had turned someone else on was the biggest turn on for Beca, and she found herself aching for Chloe even more. Before she knew what was really happening, she had been pushed onto the bed and Chloe was straddling her, her face only inches from Beca's. She made sure to kiss each one of her features before moving down Beca's body, her lips getting closer and closer to satisfying the younger girl.

Hours later and daylight was shining through the window, neither of the girls having slept at all. Both of their bodies shined from the workout they had given each other; their hair was matted; their legs were tangled together, but they felt peaceful.

They felt peaceful and hungry, which soon became clear as Beca's stomach let out a loud growl. Chloe laughed, which earned her a jab in the ribs. "It's not my fault! I was about to eat last night when _somebody_ dragged me from my room!" she said defensively.  
"I thought we established that I more than made up for that?"  
"You definitely did," Beca admitted with a smile on her face. "Can we please get something to eat though? I'm starving."

"My car is parked just down the road, we could go to a diner I know?"  
"Mm sounds perfect," Beca said, and began pushing Chloe out of bed.  
"Whoa! You're definitely not one of those stay-in-bed-and-cuddle girls are you…"  
"I'm hungry! I'll cuddle, just after we've got food."

They made quick work of pulling on some clothes from Beca's wardrobe and heading out the door, walking as quickly as possible through the morning cold to Chloe's car. Once they were in the car, Chloe turned the keys in the engine and was about to drive away, but sat for a moment looking at Beca.

Beca noticed that they weren't moving and looked at Chloe, only slightly embarrassed at the fact the other girl was staring at her again. "What now?" she said.  
"Nothing…" Chloe replied, and pulled out into the road.

The roads were fairly clear considering the time of the morning, and Beca was talking eagerly about all the food Chloe had just listed that the diner served. "I think I'll get the pancakes – they sound great, especially with the chocolate syrup. No, no wait – I'll get the cooked breakfast because I _love _going to diners that make cooked breakfast and they just taste homemade, you know what I mean?"

Chloe nodded in agreement, thinking they'd probably end up staying there for a few hours just so they could eat the cooked breakfast as well as the pancakes, and probably the waffles as well. She never realised that Beca could be so lively in the mornings, but she was entertained by how even once Beca has stopped talking, she was still drumming a beat on her legs. It was nothing complex, but it wasn't something Chloe would ever be able to pull out of thin air. She was so clearly a drummer right through to her core.

Chloe opened her mouth to ask when Beca was planning on playing another gig so she would have something to look forward to, but the lorry heading towards them interrupted her with an angry scream as it swerved out of its lane, punctuating its statement with the sound of crumpling metal as it crashed into her car.


	6. Chapter 6

"Let me see her! Let me see her!" Chloe kept crying out at the doctors around her. She fought as hard as she could against the many hands trying to hold her down despite the pain rushing through her whole body, and it wasn't until she saw someone hold a needle in front of her face that she started to give in. "Ma'am if you don't calm down we will have to sedate you," a voice said, but Chloe couldn't figure out what pair of lips it came from.

Suddenly she stopped feeling angry. She stopped screaming, and she let the doctors lean her back into the bed. Whereas her face had been red and full of fire, it softened into a look of desperation as tears began to stream down her cheeks and she said in a low voice, "Please… She has to be okay."  
"I promise we'll let you know how she is as soon as we've made sure you're okay," the faceless voice said.

For hours she was forced to lie down in the hospital bed, being wheeled from one room to another for a CT scan, ECG, EKG, MRI, and just about every other acronym there was. It wasn't until she was being wheeled from trauma to the wards that Chloe realised the whole day had passed. She craned her neck to the side as the doctor pushed the bed through one of the few corridors with windows, and as she looked outside she noticed that the sky was once again full of stars.

She thought back to the night after her grandma's funeral when her dad sat her down on the front porch, and he told his five year old daughter that although grandma was gone, she'd still look after them all. He pointed up to the night sky and said, "You see, when people can't stay on Earth any more, they go up there." Being a very religious man, it was likely he was trying to explain the concept of heaven to his daughter, but Chloe took his explanation very literally and replied, "You mean nanna is one of the stars now?"

Taken aback by her innocence, her dad said that yes, nanna was one of the stars. And so from then on, Chloe believed that when people died, they were merely moved up into the sky to be stars. Although she was old enough to know better now, part of her couldn't help but stare at the stars as they wheeled by the window and she prayed deep in her heart that Beca wasn't one of them.

Tears were running down her face again by the time they reached the wards and the nurse who brought her there couldn't help but take pity on the young girl. "I'll find out about your friend, okay love?" she said with a sad smile and patted Chloe on the arm before walking out the door. As Chloe waited, she looked around the room occupied only by herself, one other chair, and the multitude of machines she was hooked up to. She lifted her right hand and examined the piece of plastic clipped onto her middle finger before using that hand to trace up her arm, stroking around the skin that was covered in tape holding a needle in place in case the doctors needed any more blood, or in case her blood needed any more medicine.

They had taken the neck brace off after the first few tests once they were sure her neck and spine were both intact, but her left arm was soon shrouded by a blue sling. Chloe fought through the throbbing in her head that hadn't gone away since the crash as she tried to remember what the last doctor had told her. Left arm broken, but it was a clean break which is good… apparently. Collarbone on the left side was also broken. Both of these injuries probably occurred when Chloe flung her arm out in front of Beca, a last second attempt to protect the younger girl as the truck swerved over into their lane. She could see it was going to hit Beca's side of the car more than anything and her stomach flipped… the truck was so big, she was surprised it didn't roll over their car completely.

It wasn't until the doctor came back into the room that Chloe realised the heart monitor was beeping out a warning. "Try and calm down," the doctor said soothingly, but Chloe couldn't calm herself down. She wanted to get rid of the image of the truck in her mind. She wanted to see Beca. She wanted to know she was okay. "I've seen your friend," the doctor said, which seemed to soothe Chloe and the heart monitor back to a steady pace. "Is she alright?" she managed to croak out, her throat scratching dryly on the words. The apprehension in the doctor's eyes told Chloe enough before she even spoke.

"The accident was a bad one, and your friend took the worst of it. She hasn't long been out of surgery, so the doctors want to wait a while for her to come round before you go and see her."  
"Surgery? Why? What's wrong, what did she break?"  
The doctor took in a slow breath before saying, "She didn't break anything."  
"So what then?" Chloe interrupted angrily, "Internal bleeding? Punctured lung? Ruptured spleen? Whatever it is, it's fixed now, right? I mean, you said they're waiting for her to come round, so that means they fixed her, doesn't it?"

"She will wake up, don't worry. There were abrasions to her face, but much like you there are none that caused any major damage. However, her side of the car took the brunt of the impact, and a lot of the framework in the car was pushed forcefully against her body."

Chloe didn't need the doctor to tell her that. They were both knocked unconscious from the impact, but the sound of approaching sirens was enough to wake Chloe up. She turned her head to look at Beca before the paramedics pulled her from the wreckage and there was absolute carnage surrounding the younger girl. The car had bent inwards, and Beca's tiny body was being made even smaller by the metal forcing her body further into the car seat, and away from the useless deflated airbag.

"So w-what are you saying?" Chloe asked.  
"I'm saying that the crash caused a lot of damage to your friend's spinal cord."  
"Beca…" Chloe muttered.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Beca. Her name's Beca."  
"Okay. The crash has damaged Beca's spinal cord, and so the surgery was an attempt to repair as much damage as possible. Unfortunately, her doctors aren't hopeful there will be any change."

"Can I see her?" Chloe said, already fighting to get out of bed.  
"Not tonight sweetheart. You need to get some rest, and so does she. I promise that tomorrow morning I will take you to see her. Remember that you're not in any fit state to be running around the hospital either, so tomorrow morning you need to wait here until I come by with a wheelchair for you, okay?"

Reluctantly, Chloe agreed. She sank back into the mattress despite feeling sore from laying in it all day, and she shut her eyes. The sooner she slept, the sooner she'd see Beca.


End file.
